Gio Reyna's Nottingham Forest loan already looking like a disaster - USMNT star desperately needs chance to prove himself against Man Utd in FA Cup showdown

After emerging as a super-sub extraordinaire last season for Borussia Dortmund, Reyna looked poised for a breakout campaign in 2023-24. It never came. Instead, he was glued to Dortmund's bench.

After playing just 271 Bundesliga minutes across 11 matches during the first half of the season, his time at Forest has amazingly been even worse.

Since making the move towards the end of the January transfer window, Reyna has played in three out of five possible matches. In those games, he's featured for a whopping 38 minutes.

There was a 12-minute appearance in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth which was followed up by a 17-minute runout against Newcastle in a 3-2 defeat. And then, with Forest chasing the game, Reyna was given just nine minutes to work in the 4-2 loss to Aston Villa.

It hasn't been enough.

Here's the reality: Forest are in trouble. They're in a relegation dogfight and, based on their form through the first 26 games of their season, their Premier League status for next season is going to go right down to the wire.

Through those 26 games, they have just 24 points. That leaves them 17th in the table. They're out of the relegation zone, at least for now, but their spot is far from safe, especially given that Everton have been reinstated with four points after their successful deduction appeal. Luton Town, meanwhile, are currently 18th and are just four points behind, with a game in hand.

If Forest lose Wednesday's match against Man Utd, as many expect they will, they'll have just 12 games left in their season. There will be little room for error. In the context of Reyna's loan spell, then, that could be a disaster - with there unlikely to be any incentive to give a young on-loan prospect a chance to play his way into form.

When Reyna decided to join Forest, the consensus was that cracking the XI would be a challenge, but not an impossible one. Indeed, optimists would say that it was a challenge that the player duly needed, giving him motivation to earn and then keep a place in a team fighting for their Premier League surival.

Right now, though, that challenge has been too much of an obstacle to overcome, with Forest's established starters having kept Reyna out of the XI.

Captain Morgan Gibbs-White is undroppable, and he plays the No. 10 position that Reyna would ideally like to occupy. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga, meanwhile, are high-upside wingers who have joined from big clubs. Their combination of pace, skill and Premier League experience at a young age make them tough to move aside.

Off the bench, Divock Origi has generally been the primary attacking sub. The Belgian striker is, of course, a Champions League winner with Liverpool. When Forest need a goal, he's usually the first guy tossed on.

It all means that the attacking positions are largely accounted for, making it difficult for Reyna to get through unless something were to shake up the existing group.

USMNT fans are, understandably, worried about Reyna's lack of minutes. They have a right to be. He remains one of the brightest talents in the American game and his development will be key to any hopes of a run at the 2026 World Cup and beyond.

Rather than panic, though, USMNT's Gregg Berhalter is looking big picture. He sees this as a short-term problem that, in the long term, will be an important hurdle in Reyna's career.

Berhalter told Alexi Lalas' ‘State of the Union’ podcast: “I think it’s important to realize that Gio is still a young player, still finding himself, still finding who he is as a player. Every player on our team has gone through times when they are not thriving or it’s not going the best way for them.

"For Gio, it’s no different. We’re not panicking. We know he has a ton of talent. We know that he can be a game-changer and we’re looking forward to the day when he’s in the team each and every week and really starting to thrive and grow. We know how much quality he has and what a good player he is.”

Former USMNT star Taylor Twellman was never convinced by the move to Forest. And, thus far, his concerns have been pretty spot on.

He told theState of the Unionpodcast earlier this month: “If you’re really leaving Dortmund for Forest when six weeks before that, four months before that, Sevilla was the one that everyone was telling me that’s where he’s going to end up. A relegation battle in the Premier League does not suit Gio Reyna. I don’t care who you are and who’s trying to convince me on that – that’s not going to work.

“With what happened at the World Cup, I am concerned that Gio will now be chasing this round trying to find himself when this is the most important part of his player identification period of trying to understand who he is and who he wants to be. He is young enough to still have an unbelievable career, but these are the trying times as a player when you find out who you are and who you want to be. I don’t know if he is going to get that answer at Forest.”

Given Forest's perilous situation in the Premier League, the FA Cup won't be the focus. They aren't likely to win it, and there are more important battles to fight.

That doesn't mean they'll throw Wednesday's match against United, but they certainly will pick a team with one eye on the weekend. They're hosting Liverpool on Saturday, continuing a difficult run of games that includes Brighton after that. If Forest are to have any hope of stealing points from those games, they'll need their best players available.

Because of that, it makes sense for Nuno Espirito Santo to give Reyna a runout in at least one of the three attacking spots. Maybe he pairs him with Gibbs-White as dual No. 10s. Perhaps he starts on the right, much like he has many times for the U.S. and Dortmund. The Portuguese manager has some decisions to make as he looks to balance giving Wednesday's game a real go while also preparing his team for a relegation fight ahead.

March is set to be a massive month for the USMNT, who already look likely to be shorthanded.

Tyler Adams hasn't played in months and, while he is nearing a return, it remains to be seen if he's ready for the upcoming Nations League semifinal against Jamaica. Weston McKennie suffered a recent injury, too, which means two pillars of the team could be missing in the engine room.

In 2023, Reyna was one of the answers to the midfield puzzle. Playing as a No. 10, Reyna starred during his central appearances both before and after Berhalter's return. Malik Tillman will push him for that starting spot, particularly given his form at PSV, but the Forest loanee could very well be deployed in the middle during the Nations League.

That will all depend on the fitness of others, as well as what happens with Reyna over the next few weeks. He has a fight on his hands to get on the field, and the result of that will have a massive impact on a USMNT team staring at a Copa America later this summer.